The Trials of Being Harry Potter
by lolayola
Summary: Ron never come around after the first task, and Harry is left to find support elsewhere in the form of Neville Longbottom. AU 4th year fic with drama, difficult situations, and plenty of action. NOT SLASH
1. You've Got a Friend in Me

**_The Trials of Being Harry Potter_**

You've Got a Friend in Me

_"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest_

_champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr._

_Potter!"_

_Harry saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue the Horntail, and, over at_

_the entrance to the enclosure, Professor McGonagal, Professor Moody, and_

_Hagrid hurrying to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles_

_evident even from this distance. He flew back over the stands, the noise of the_

_crowd pounding his eardrums, and came in smoothly to land, his heart lighter than_

_it had been in weeks. . . . He had got through the first task, he had survived._

_"That was excellent, Potter!" cried Professor McGonagall as he got off the Firebolt_

_- which from her was extravagant praise. He noticed that her hand shook as she_

_pointed at his shoulder. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges_

_give out your score. . . . Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already. . . ."_

_"Yeh did it, Harry!" said Hagrid hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an'_

_all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' - "_

_"Thanks, Hagrid," said Harry loudly, so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and_

_reveal that he had shown Harry the dragons beforehand._

_Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its_

_socket._

_"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," he growled._

_"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please. . ." said Professor McGonagall._

_Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey_

_standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried._

_"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was_

_divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but_

_Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey_

_examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously all the while. "Last year dementors,_

_this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very_

_lucky. . . this is quite shallow. . . it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though... ."_

_She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but_

_then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly._

_"Now, just sit quietly for a minute - sit! And then you can go and get your score."_

_She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, "How does it_

_feel now, Diggory?"_

_Harry didn't want to sit still: He was too full of adrenaline. He got to his feet,_

_wanting to see what was going on outside, but before he'd reached the mouth of_

_the tent, two people had come darting inside - Hermione, followed closely by Ron._

_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pg 231-232_

"Harry!" Hermione began, "That was brilliant! I don't think I've seen such a flawless summoning charm! It was just," for once, she stopped talking at the right time.

He ignored her, wishing only to hear from his best friend. The redhead was making sure to look anywhere but at Harry. He waited hesitantly, but not for long. Soon enough, Ron was pulling a reluctant Hermione from the tent. She left after promising to speak with him soon.

He wasn't given long to dwell on the actions of his friends. Neville's frail looking hand pulled back a bit of the tent curtain and exposed the boy's hesitant face. He looked scared almost, like he could be forcibly ejected from the tent at any moment. He scanned the floor of the tent, obviously looking for something or someone.

"Hey Neville," Harry offered, catching his attention. "Need some help?"

His eyes jumped to Harry and the expression on his face changed. He looked relieved to see Him. "No, actually. I was just coming to congratulate you," His usual awkwardness was less evident in his speech, but Harry could tell that he was making a conscious effort.

"Thanks Neville," Harry replied lamely. He had never really been close to the teen and wasn't completely sure how to respond. Even so, he was glad that Neville's words at least seemed sincere.

"That was pretty genius, by the way. Never would've expected something like that, and I don't think anyone else did either. Reckon you'll come out of this one in the lead," his praise was welcome and it further pushed Harry to contemplate what brought on the sudden show of support. Neville had never been openly against him like Ron was, but he hadn't said anything positive to him all year either.

"You think so? I honestly was just trying to survive, but after all that, it really would be nice to have something to show for it," Harry admitted. He wasn't so sure if he could handle doing only enough to get by. The sense of satisfaction when he realized his success in his first task was enough to get Harry thinking about how good it would feel to actually earn his place in the tournament.

"I really do, mate," Harry was somewhat surprised at the last part. He could tell something was off. Never in three and a half years of schooling with Neville had he heard him use the term, "Mate."

"So what's up Neville? Anything you wanna tell me?" He knew there were definitely better ways to go about it, but he was never good with those kinds of things.

Neville looked nervous at his question, but didn't show much else. "No. I just figured you could use someone to talk to, is all. Erm, that's alright by you, right?"

Harry could tell there was something more, but didn't pry. "Of course, Neville. You know I'd never turn down a friend," He grinned at him. It really was a nice thing for him to do.

There was about ten seconds of slightly awkward silence before Neville began to explain how the other champions had fared.

"Well Cedric didn't do too badly. He tried transfiguring a rock into some kind of dog, but the dragon didn't mind it too much. He managed to get the egg, but only barely. Fleur missed a perfect score out of bad luck. She charmed the dragon to sleep, but it snorted out some fire at her as she walked past," By now, they were walking from the tent out to the place where Harry had moments ago narrowly avoided death by a dragon. Harry was trying to calm his nerves about his score by listening to Neville. It seemed to be working. "Krum hit the dragon with some curse. Got it dead in the eye, he did. Probably woulda' worked too, but the dragon decided to go on a rampage and it crushed a few of the eggs. He lost quite a few points for that, though Karkaroff didn't seem to mind. He gave him full marks," Neville made a face that said, "What can you do?" and shrugged.

At this time, Harry was staring up at the judges in waiting for his scores. Madame Maxime was the first of the five to answer him, shooting an elegant ribbon into the air in the shape of an eight. Harry grinned widely. "Not too bad." Dumbledore and Crouch both gave him nines. What was surprising was when Bagman gave him a ten. He was a bit shocked, but he didn't mind. Neither did the crowd, it seemed. They were cheering louder than ever. The excitement was short lived; Karkaroff ended it abruptly by presenting a feeble looking four to Harry.

Harry's brow furrowed. That's definitely not what he was hoping for. He hadn't realized how much he was hoping for top scores until then. His inner Gryffindor begged for him to argue a better score out, but he held it in and walked out of the enclosure with his arms dangling limply at his sides, a confused and disappointed expression still on his face.

"Don't worry about it," Neville offered kindly. He honestly wasn't expecting much from Harry's reply, but he decided it better to say something.

"Who said I cared?" Harry's attempt to both feign indifference and make conversation was only mildly successful. Neville laughed lightly and turned to follow his dorm mate back to the castle.

Harry conveniently 'forgot' that Madam Pomfrey had instructed him to return to the tent after receiving his scores. Instead, he decided to talk a leisurely stroll back to the castle, going a slightly elongated path that passed by the greenhouses. He was hoping that if his attempts at conversation with Neville failed, the greenhouses would be able to save him.

Thankfully, his backup plan was unneeded. He and Neville talked as if they had been best friends for years. It startled Harry somewhat. He didn't know Neville well, but he knew that being so talkative was very out of character for him. To be honest, most of the conversation was a product of Neville. His behavior had done a complete one-eighty from when Neville first entered to tent.

"Then he told me, 'If only you were as good at making potions as you are at being a bumbling idiot, my life would be infinitely better.' I mean really, he's losing it. I could've come up with something better myself," Neville's rendition of Snape's attempted insult was iffy at best, but this only added to the humor. Harry laughed with his classmate as he imagined a flustered Snape falling over his words in confusion. It was definitely a positive mental image.

"Maybe you've just worn him out of insults. Merlin knows he's used enough on you already," It was an awkward comment, but Harry expected as much. He was never the best at making conversation with people he didn't know well. It was oddly refreshing to see Neville in charge of the conversation, for a change.

"No need to tell me. I think my favorite was, 'You, Longbottom, are a disappointing product of your parent's love affairs.' It sounds weak, but he managed to give me a rather disturbing image of my parents in a bed together, so it was affective enough." Harry cringed at Neville's comment and tried in vain to purge his mind of the picture. Nonetheless, he managed to keep the amused grin on his face. It had been a long while since he had smiled for an extended period of time, and it was nice.

Their conversation about their least favorite professor was cut short by the appearance of none other than Rita Skeeter. Her face was unwanted and Harry's expression did little to hide the fact.

"What do you want, wench?" Once again, Neville surprised Harry with his actions. It was so surprising that Neville said the words that Harry had been longing to for the majority of the year that Harry himself started laughing.

Skeeter's face remained impassively cheery, though Harry and Neville both could tell that she was irritated. "Why, only a few words with the youngest Triwizard champion, of course," Her reply was generic and answered little.

"No thanks," Harry told her. He made a point to walk around her by making a large semicircle, staying as far away from her as possible without walking into the wall of the green house.

"Are you disappointed with your scores, Mister Potter? Or, should I call you Harry?" Her first question struck a nerve that Harry didn't know he possessed. It seemed like today was just full of surprises.

"Neither. You can leave," She maintained a close distance to Harry, standing in between him and Neville. Obviously she had no intention of taking his offer.

"Does that mean yes? You're disappointed about Headmaster Karkaroff's opinion on your performance? You believe you have been slighted by being appointed biased judges? Would you say you're angry about your results today? Who do you think is to blame, besides Karkaroff, of course?"

Harry turned to her with an expression that clearly told her to either bugger off or die. "You should leave. No, let's change that to just 'Leave.'" He was getting very annoyed now. Who does she think she is? She was stuffing words into his mouth and likely planning to claim they were his own.

Neville looked like he was about to intervene before Harry really lost his temper. He had gone from laughing to looking nearly murderous in only a few sentences from the witch, and it looked like it would only take a few more before he pulled his wand. Neville knew that wouldn't end well. Thankfully, the witch seemed satisfied with the reaction she had elicited from Harry.

"No need to get short, Harry. I was just about to make my leave." She winked at the both of them and then turned and walked towards the stadium. Harry glared holes into her retreating person for a few more seconds before turning around.

Neville was unsure how to calm the teen, but he figured it had to be done. "Don't worry about that woman. Her stories are so obscene that the few people who believe them aren't worth your time," Neville's words calmed Harry somewhat. They soon returned to their walk back to the castle. Harry didn't say much after the encounter, only offering a slight smile or a nod of his head in response to Neville's conversation.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy talking to the lanky Gryffindor. He was simply too occupied thinking about why Skeeter's comments on his scores irked him so much. He was under the impression that he only cared about surviving the tournament. After his unexpectedly negative reaction to his score from Karkaroff, he wasn't so sure what he was hoping for anymore.

* * *

><p>"Neville, how the hell do you do that?" Harry's frustration at the plant in front of him was almost permeable. The highly evasive plant deemed "a tricky one" by Professor Sprout lay in a small pot in front of Harry. He had spent the last 5 minutes of his time in green house three trying to clip the leaves off of the plant. Neville had by now helped 3 other students calm the plants in order for them to be handled easier. Harry, naturally, had been too stubborn to ask for help. His pride was bested by impatience and he was now ready to beg for Neville's assistance.<p>

If Harry had the choice, he would've asked Hermione for help long ago. Unfortunately, she, being the kind person she is, had recently taken to spending more time with Ron. The boy had been reluctant to speak with anyone else, and her conscience got the best of her. She was forced to accompany her red headed friend almost everywhere. Harry could tell that she would tire of this before long, and Ron would be left alone. Harry himself couldn't wait.

Neville grinned widely at seeing his friend's expression. Harry angrily shoved the potted plant towards him and tossed his tool onto the table. Professor Sprout looked on amusedly as Neville began to lightly stroke the base of the plant, right where the dark green stem met the soil. Harry scowled at the "obvious" solution. Stupid Herbology, always getting the best of him.

"You really have a way with plants, don't you Harry?" Neville was intentionally winding him up now. Harry's ineptitude was an ever present frustration in the green houses. He had confided in Neville that he had always been jealous of his natural prowess in the subject. That was two weeks ago. It had been nearly a month since Harry was first exposed to what Neville claimed to be his real self. Even though Hermione was doing her best to spend time with him, it wasn't always enough. Harry was glad to have a guy friend again. It had been a while.

"Oh just finish with that damn plant and bugger off, why don't you?" Harry playfully retorted. It was common now for the two friends to be found with lighthearted hostility between them.

Neville smiled once again and pushed the plant back into Harry's direction. Now that the plant was still, Harry had no problem removing the circle shaped leaves. They would be used as potion ingredients for some cheering potion to be made by the second years. It was common for Herbology to produce ingredients for Snape to use in his classes.

Harry and Neville idly conversed about the second task that they had yet to discern information about. The egg was being very frustrating. The only thing that happened when they opened it was that people would complain about the wretched noise. On several occasions, the duo had tried opening the egg and doing odd things to it. At one point, Neville convinced Harry to try to sing the egg to sleep. This went on for a good twenty minutes before not only students complained, but also professor Flitwick. Harry and Neville were shouting at each other in order to be heard for the rest of the day. They were planning to day to try to dip the egg in a calming draught that they had brewed previously and then open it. Harry was a bit skeptical about what results this particular attempt would yield, but Neville was adamant that they tried it. It didn't help much when Hermione actually agreed that it was a good idea.

Sprout soon dismissed the class and Neville and Harry began their trek back up to the tower to retrieve the Draught. Then, they were going to take the draught to an abandoned classroom in the charms hall that they had been using for their experiments. The plan had been to go straight to the room, but Neville forgot to bring the potion to Herbology.

They ran into Hannah Abbott on their way out of Herbology, and Neville immediately slipped into his shy and reclusive mood that Harry had been accustomed to the first three years of his schooling. The girl had an odd and profound effect on him, and Harry had a feeling he knew why.

Harry saw his friends change in mood and decided to torment him a bit. "Hey Hannah, fancy seeing you here," Harry sounded a lot smoother than he expected. He just spoke what came to his mind and smiled, merely hoping to catch her attention enough for a conversation.

Hannah blushed slightly at the smile Harry gave her and began her reply, "Oh really? I can't imagine that, considering we pass by each other every Wednesday at this time," Her reply forced Harry to think about his next words.

"You got me there," Harry replied. He couldn't think of anything else to say and didn't want to sound stupid by spending 5 seconds to think about his answer. Neville was suddenly very concerned about his shoelaces. Apparently, they needed to be untied and retied.

Thankfully, Hannah didn't seem to notice. She was too busy herself trying to sound as natural as possible. If she was to be honest, she would admit that though she spent little time around Harry, the boy-who-lived was overwhelming. Her words came to her less fluently than she was accustomed to, and she wasn't sure why. She didn't think he was attractive enough to dazzle her into a stupor. She just felt like her mind just woke up from a nap whenever she was around him. Little did she know, almost half of the school's population thought the very same thing.

Harry soon realized that Neville had, by now, retied his right shoe three times. He was forced to cut his conversation with Hannah short in fear of her noticing his friend's odd behavior. "Well, we've both got places to be, so I'll let you go. Have fun in Herbology, Hannah. Merlin knows I didn't." His warning was unnecessary, Hannah really enjoyed Herbology.

"I think I'll manage. Thanks, anyway," Her reply was short, and with that, she returned to her walk to the green houses. Harry and Neville also began their trek into the castle on their way to Gryffindor tower.

Neville was still red as a beat, and he showed no signs of paling any time soon. "What was that, Neville? Cat got your tongue?" Harry had recently taken to relentlessly antagonizing Neville. All in good humor, of course.

"Oh bugger off. You know how I get when it comes to girls," His attempt to brush it off and wasn't working. Harry knew for a fact that the source of Neville's behavior was Hannah. This rubbish about girls was just a cover up.

"Come off it Neville, you never get like that when you talk to Hermione," Harry smirked. Neville took his time finding a decent comeback, though it was time wasted.

"Well, oh just bugger off," He was grinning slightly.

"But really, mate. What happened back there?" By now, they had reached the portrait of the fat lady. Harry was opening his mouth to say the password, but Neville beat him to it.

"Courage is might," The fat lady smiled and nodded to them as her portrait swung open. Neville continued, "To be honest, it's just Hannah. I get so worried about making a fool of myself that I end up doing it anyway. It's embarrassing," Harry wasn't quite sure what to say to console his friend, but he knew that he had to say something.

"Well, mate, just be yourself. Hannah's a nice girl. Even if you do end up embarrassing yourself, do you really think she'll mind too much? I don't. I think she would likely just forget about it," He smiled at his own words. Surprisingly, his advice was sound. He would likely take it himself if he was Neville.

Thankfully, Neville seemed to be thinking along the same lines. His expression changed from one of disappointment to one of thoughtfulness. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. "Well when you say it like that, Harry, you're actually making some sense," His face once again changed, this time to a smile.

* * *

><p>"Just shut it, Harry!" Neville's shouting voice was barely audible over the sound of Harry's screeching egg. After the calming draught had failed, they had gotten desperate. This was their 4th attempt since then, and it was only two days after. Hermione had claimed that she was busy, but Harry got the feeling that she was getting frustrated herself. Nonetheless, she was constantly supplying them with new ideas to try.<p>

Harry cancelled his bubble head charm that he had used to surround the egg. It had taken him a whole hour and a half to get down. Fortunately, it wasn't time entirely wasted; Harry had been planning on learning it after being caught by another one of the twins' dungbomb pranks.

With two short strides and a swift gesture with his arm, Harry closed and sealed the egg. To his dismay, he realized that it was only with practiced ease that he accomplished that so easily. The first time, it had taken him a good five seconds to overcome the pain in his ears and figure out how to close the egg. Now, a dozen odd tries later, it was like second nature.

"Hell, Harry. What are you two doing in here?" Susan's eyebrow was raised and her face was humorous.

"Well, Susan, we were trying to figure out this bloody egg. How about you?" The last part was complete with the charming smile Harry had grown familiar to. His reply was received with a smirk by the two Hufflepuff girls.

"Well if you must know, we were on our way from Charms," Hannah seemed distracted somehow and looked almost surprised by Susan's answer. Harry absently wondered about the cute confused look on her face. He quickly shook the rising thoughts of attraction. Harry knew exactly how Neville would react to that; He would completely deny all his feelings for the girl himself and then act as if he didn't care. Harry didn't want to do that to him.

"Charms? Sounds a bit sketchy if you ask me. How do we know you aren't spying on us for Cedric?" The question was playful and Susan replied easily.

"You don't. I guess that's for us to know. And Cedric, of course,"

Harry laughed and walked toward the door, the golden egg cradled against his ribs. "Well we were actually on our way out," Harry replied, quickly forming a plan in his head. Neville had yet to say a word; the same could almost be noted about Hannah. He was going to force them into a conversation, whether they liked it or not. "Would you two girls like an escort back to your dormitories?" Harry held out his arm for Susan, but she acted as if she saw nothing.

"I think we'll be fine, thanks," She was smiling widely and making no effort to hide it. How often could a girl turn down an offer of escort from the boy-who-lived?

Harry's plan was going to happen, and it was going to work. "Excellent! So where is the Hufflepuff common room, exactly? Don't think I've ever been."

Hannah rolled her eyes and began following the two. Susan was enjoying this entirely too much.

"You'll see," Hannah laughed out loud, causing Harry to wonder about the location of said common room.

Harry was doing his best to force Neville and Hannah into conversation, but the boy was just too stubborn. So far, all that was said between the two were a few awkward words from Neville. If this ended badly, Neville would sulk for days.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as they rounded a corner. Walking towards them was the smirking form of Draco Malfoy, flanked on his left by Goyle. The expression on his face was as if he had been expecting to see them, and he was so excited that they had finally arrived. Harry immediately had to hold back a gag when he looked towards Goyle. The boys face was covered with red and irritated pimples that had been festering for days. Harry silently wondered why he didn't just use some skin clearing salve. There were many perks of being magical, clear skin only being one of the more simple ones.

"Oh look Goyle, it's Potty and even more blood traitors. Really, I thought you couldn't go any lower, then you go and consort with Longbottom. I guess you proved me wrong, for once," Malfoy taunted. It was useless, after years of enduring Malfoy's petty insults, these words fazed none of them.

"Shove it Malfoy, why don't you just go-" Harry began what he believed to be a witty comeback, but Susan interrupted him.

"Malfoy, piss off." The insult alone was weak, but Susan had said it with such disgust. "How are Goyle's sloppy seconds, Malfoy? I heard you and Pansy were caught in a broom closet last week by Professor Sinistra,"

Harry laughed as he recalled hearing from Lavender the same thing. His laughter, like many things, was cut short.

Snape, appearing nearly out of nowhere, began to speak. "That will be 15 points from Hufflepuff and detention with Filch tomorrow night for spreading lies, Miss Bones. Leave now before I am forced to remove more points from your houses dwindling collection," He somehow managed to look pleases and sneer at them at the same time.

Once Harry saw that Susan wasn't going to protest, Harry began himself. "But it's not a lie! I heard the same thing!" He was barely refraining from shouting at the man.

"Are you questioning me, Potter?"

Neville sighed and began thinking of ways to make up the points Harry was about to lose. There were many things that set Harry off. Snape and doing wrong to Harry's friends were both very high on that list. Neville looked at Hannah as if to apologize on Harry's behalf for what was happening. She gave him an uncertain look in return.

"No! I'm telling you that you're wrong! You know it's the truth, and you can't take points for speaking the truth!" Harry's face was red at this point and he was nearly yelling.

"30 points from Gryffindor for disrespecting your superiors, Potter. And you can accompany Ms Bones to detention tomorrow night. Now leave, or you will be losing more than just house points, whelp,"

Hannah gasped audibly at Snape's blatant disrespect to Harry. The Hufflepuffs never regularly attended Potions with the Gryffindors, and she was surprised to see Snapes attitude towards Harry. She quickly grabbed Susan's arm and pulled her past the Slytherin group.

After receiving a look from both Neville and Hannah, Harry decided it would be best to leave. He glared at Draco hatefully all the way down the hall. The blonde just smirked to himself and pointed his chin upwards.

Halfway down the next hallway, Susan finally broke the silence. "That arse!" Her eyes were narrowed and she looked near ready to hex someone.

"Susan, you've got to get used to it," Neville started, "I'm surprised that you aren't already by now," He didn't realize that Snape was much more tolerable when there were no Gryffindors around.

Hannah spoke up, "Used to it? I've never seen anyone be so biased! You're right Susan, he's an arse!" Neville silently stashed away the incident of Hannah's swearing.

Harry himself was excluding himself from the conversation on their journey to Hufflepuff common room. The topic lingered on Snape and his jerk-hood, though Harry didn't notice. He was too busy thinking of how much he was willing to pay Fred and George to exact his vengeance on Malfoy. At the moment, he was thinking somewhere around a hundred galleons was his limit, but as he thought more of Malfoy, that cap became less and less important.

Neville flourished in the conversation now that the topic had changed to something he was more comfortable with; mutual disdain for their slimy git of a Potions professor. He was in the middle of recounting a story about Snape when they came across a painting. Hannah and Susan stopped walking, signaling that they had reached their destination. Neville quickly rapped up his story.

"Well Boys, thank you very much for your kind escort," Susan, after about 10 or so minutes of walking was now more thankful for their company. Hannah smiled at them to repeat Susan's thoughts.

Neville, feeling confident after their previous conversation and the role he played in it, decided to speak out. "Of course, don't hesitate to ask us for that again," He mentally slapped himself for the awkwardness of his words. He had only planned up to the of course bit. From now on, he would think a little more.

Hannah blushed as she realized the reason for Neville's sometimes awkward behavior. Susan had told her about Neville's crush on her and she was unsure of what to think.

"Sure thing," Harry interrupted, trying to save his friend from any more embarrassment. Susan was a nice girl, but she liked to tease. Neville didn't take well to being teased, and Harry knew it. "Don't run into anymore Slytherins without us, okay?" He smiled briefly to the two girls before turning to leave.

"Oh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Harry?" Susan asked.

"Um, what? When?" Harry had forgotten about the detention assigned to them by Snape. "Oh, right. Yeah, I'll see you then,"

Harry and Neville were left by themselves for the remainder of their walk to Gryffindor tower. Since Hufflepuff's common room was near the kitchens, they had quite a few staircases to climb. Harry and Neville chose to use this time to discuss many things, ranging from the Egg to a certain Hufflepuff 4th year.

* * *

><p>"That is why, students, before beginning a complex transfiguration, it is better to understand the physical makeup of both the start and end products," McGonagall finished her lecture. It had been over an hour since the lesson began, and Harry was struggling to stay awake. "Tomorrow, we will begin practical use of semi-complex transfigurations such as those discussed in today's lesson. Your assignment is to read chapter six sections one and two of your textbooks. Class dismissed,"<p>

Harry couldn't help but overhear Hermione's rather one sided conversation with Ron. She was chattering animatedly about the lesson. Ron looked as if he was tuning her out. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but Harry noticed her smile falter for a split second when Ron didn't reply. Of course, it was only natural that the git would start pushing away his last remaining friend.

Harry was already to the second flight of stairs before he remembered about his detention with Filch. Groaning, he asked Neville the time.

"Its four forty, why?" Neville stopped and looked back on Harry's retreating form.

"I completely forgot about my detention. I'll see you after, I guess." Harry's mood had gone from quiet to annoyed at the memory of Snape's unfairness.

"Well, see ya. I'll try to get some notes down on tonight's transfiguration work for you. I doubt you'll be able to finish it with detention and all." Neville called, not moving from his place on the stairs.

Harry smiled and thanked his friend before heading towards Filch's office. Without Hermione there to help Harry out with school work, Neville was doing his best to make up for it. The boy had been a tremendous help in nearly every subject, doing the mindless work for Harry when he was too busy with the tournament.

Although he didn't like Neville doing so much work for him without any reward, he had yet to say anything. It wasn't like he was asking, the boy offered. It would be rude to deny him, wouldn't it?

"Hey Harry, you off to detention too?" Susan Bones asked. She was way too excited for someone on her way to detention, with Filch, no less.

"Unfortunately so. What's go you so excited?" Harry questioned, speaking his mind.

"Why would I be excited about detention?" She looked extremely defensive all of a sudden. Her eyes narrowed and she gave Harry a look.

"That's what I was thinking," Harry admitted. Susan laughed lightly and fell in step with Harry. They were quiet for almost 3 more hallways before Susan broke the silence.

"So did you get any of that in transfiguration today? I honestly got a headache about 5 minutes in and just gave up," She was practically begging for some sort of conversation.

Harry thought back to his lesson just minutes ago, realizing that he did in fact understand it quite clearly. He also had a hunch that Susan did as well. "No, I don't think anyone did," He smiled as he lied. The silence was killing him and he was going to try his best to keep it at bay. Besides, maybe Susan would feel more comfortable if they were on common ground.

"I didn't know Hufflepuffs had Transfiguration the same day as us," Harry spoke before the quiet settled. He recalled his Transfiguration lesson to be with the Slytherins.

"Our entire year has shared the same day for Transfiguration for 4 years, Harry," Susan laughed at the look on his face. Harry welcomed the sound.

"Really?" Harry thought of all he knew about Hufflepuff and realized that there really was nothing to think about. He knew almost nothing about the most loyal house of Hogwarts. "I guess I don't pay too much attention to the other Houses," Harry admitted, still surprised about his lack of knowledge.

"Well that's us, nondescript Hufflepuff," Susan sighed.

"I'm sure that's not always the case," Harry tried his best to smile at her, but he knew she was right. "Hey, at least you've got the Hogwarts Champion from your house, right?"

"Oh, because everyone thinks of Cedric when they think of the Hogwarts Champion," Her response stung.

"I didn't realize I was such a detriment to your House," Harry replied, generally hurt. Susan seemed to blow off his response, rolling her eyes away from him.

"Don't worry about it Harry. We're used to it."

"What does that mean?" Harry replied. She slowed her pace. Harry wasn't given much choice, so he followed.

"Well, it's just that Hufflepuff has never really seen glory. I doubt you would understand much, but Hufflepuffs never get any recognition, not even an honorable mention. Did you know that Hufflepuff has won the most House Cups of all the houses?"

Harry tried and failed to hide his surprise at the fact. It didn't go unnoticed by Susan. "You see, most of us Hufflepuffs can't help but feel like it doesn't matter what we do, it'll never be noticed." Harry felt almost as if she had told the same words to someone before. It was awfully personal, but apparently it was a fact of life.

"Well, I don't know much about hufflepuff's," Harry started, "Or whether they will ever get recognition. I honestly can only recall the names of a few." Susan gave him a questioning look. Where was he going? "But from what I can tell from the one I'm talking to now, Hufflepuff seems like a pretty alright house," Harry smiled at her. She rolled her eyes and tried to mask her own grin.

"Alright? Is that all you've got to say, alright?" She joked. Harry shrugged at her.

"I guess you could say that Hufflepuffs are nice," Harry said with a mock-thoughtful look on his face. Susan acted annoyed but she was obviously enjoying herself. She had quickly lost the look of disappointment that she wore when she spoke of her house.

"Well, I guess I'll take anything I can get,"

"Smart girl," Harry said, laughing at Susan's expression.

Unfortunately, their joy was short lived. They arrived at Filch's office seconds later. Harry groaned inwardly when he saw Filch waiting for them, smiling and holding two filthy brooms.

* * *

><p>For future reference, all of my author's notes will be at the end of chapters. I'll try my best to keep them short.<p>

Thanks for reading the first chapter of my story! I've already gotten the next chapter written and plan on posting it sometime before the weekend. Please review and give me your thoughts on the chapter. If you have any constructive criticism, or any criticism really, please feel free to tell me about it, preferably in the form of a review. If there are any notable spelling or grammar errors that I and my word processing program have missed, also feel free to tell me. I'm planning on going in for revisions after every 3 or so mentions of an error I receive.

Notes on the Chapter:

This chapter and the next are going to be used as an introduction into the AU in which Neville became Harry's best friend. This will be the biggest change in the story line, though expect many more smaller changes to come.

In the next chapter: teenage drama, more new friends, and the Yule Ball.

EDIT1: After receiving many convincing reviews, I've decided to work Hermione back into the story. There just was no reason for her abandonment of Harry. I thank all of the reviewers that helped me realize this.


	2. All I Want for Christmas is You

**The Trials of Being Harry Potter**

All I Want for Christmas is You

Harry and Neville pushed their way through the doors of the Great Hall. The first thing Harry noticed was the new addition of Christmas decorations. The second thing he noticed was the largely increased number of couples walking around the Hall, hands intertwined. With the Yule Ball less than a week away, couples had been popping up left and right. Harry inwardly groaned and turned his eyes away from the slow moving form of Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory walking shoulder to shoulder. He didn't have to look to know that Cho was smiling brightly and likely giggling at something Cedric said.

His hopes of asking the raven haired Asian were dashed the second he caught wind of her blossoming relationship with the Hufflepuff Champion. Overhearing the disappointing news from Parvati Patil was, he could imagine, nowhere near as embarrassing as if he had found out after asking her himself.

Since then, his hopes to procure a date for the Ball became less and less likely. Hermione was going on a date with some mystery man and she was adamant that no one found out who it was, so she was scratched of the list of hopeful candidates. He couldn't think of any other girl to ask, and time was running out.

"Hell, I'm gonna be sick," Neville muttered under his breath as a mass of Ravenclaw couples walked by them and through the doors. Making a face of disgust, he pushed past them and towards the Gryffindor table.

"What's up with you, Neville?" Dean Thomas asked. In the past few weeks, Harry and Neville had taken to sitting with the rest of the fourth year Gryffindors, excluding a certain unmentionable redhead, of course. While Neville had sat with them in the past, Harry had not. Thankfully, he had easily tagged onto the small group of Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and Lavender. Hermione sometimes sat with them, but it was obvious that she only sat with them to support Harry. She rarely said a word during these rare occurrences. Harry was slowly beginning to get used to life with the disbanded Golden Trio of Gryffindor.

"Bloody couples everywhere I go. I can't even go to breakfast without being reminded that I don't have a date to the Ball," Neville was irritated, which was not a common occurrence. Seamus gave him a sympathetic look, wanting to speak. Parvati beat him to it.

"Well we all know that it's not just a date you want. Have you asked Hannah?" It was common knowledge among the group that Neville was near smitten for the girl, and Parvati was always the one to remind everyone. Harry shot her a warning look. For reasons unknown to him, Hannah was a touchy subject with Neville lately.

"You know I haven't, Parvati."

"Well then why are you whining about not having a date? Have you asked _anyone_?" Lavender inquired. In truth, Harry and Neville had many times discussed asking Hannah and Susan, but they had yet to act on their plans. Beyond that, the two boys hadn't done anything but wish for someone to go with.

Neville mumbled a barely audible "No." Lavender rolled her eyes and gave the rest of the group a knowing look.

Harry sighed, knowing that if they didn't find dates soon, they would end up having to go with each other, or some equally terrible fate. "Hey Neville, how about you go right this second and ask Hannah? You've got to do it sometime." Harry had said almost those exact words almost half a dozen times now, and never had it elicited the response he was looking for. This time was different.

"You know what? I think I've gotten so tired of hearing people say that I should, that I just might." He looked up at Harry, uncertain. He stood up, looked towards the Hufflepuff table, and took one glance before paling and sitting back down. "Actually, I think I can put up with it a few more times."

"C'mon, you've got to!" Seamus encouraged, though it did little for Neville's nerves. Instead, Neville looked to Harry.

"You know you're not going to ask anyone else until you've heard from her. You might as well do it now, while you still have a chance." Harry, deep down, hoped that Neville would wait longer before asking. If he asked Hannah, then Harry would look like even more of a loser. He would be the only boy in their group of friends without a date. Seamus had asked Lavender the first week. Dean was going with some Ravenclaw 5th year. If Neville got a date, he would be left without a choice but to find one himself.

"Ok. I'll do this. I can do this." Neville slowly rose from his seat, again looking dreadfully towards the Hufflepuff table where Hannah sat.

He was walking shakily, and he turned around to look back at his friends more than once. They all gave him encouraging looks.

"I heard she's going with Terry," Lavender revealed as they all continued to watch Neville walk towards Hannah.

Harry's eyes flew to Lavender in disbelief. She knew that Hannah was already going with someone, yet she freely let him walk towards embarrassment? "What?"

"Oh chill, Harry. It's better he hears from her than from us. Besides, it's about time he acted on his feelings." Lavender spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Harry began to protest, but stopped himself. Neville had gotten to Hannah's part of the table, and he had given them one final glance, as if to beg them for support. Harry sent his in the form of a thumbs up.

Harry was surprised at just how nervous he was for Neville, now that he knew that he was bound for rejection. All 5 of the Gryffindors watched as Neville spoke to the pretty brunette. Lavender had a smug look on her face, as if she knew that she was doing the world a favor. The others all looked on with pained expressions, knowing how it feels to be rejected.

Though none of them could hear the words exchanged, there wasn't much left to be imagined. They could all see Hannah's embarrassed and regretful look. She obviously felt sorry for him. Harry had to give Neville some credit, he was hiding his disappointment well. Harry had learned from his time with Neville that he was an amazing actor when he needed to be.

The group quickly turned back to their food when they saw Neville heading back in their direction. "So, who's excited about the Ball?" Seamus offered in an effort to disguise their nosiness. No one replied.

"She's already going with Terry Boot, the git," Neville said before he was even sitting back in his seat. Harry sent his friend an apologetic look, hoping that this wouldn't damper his mood too much. "It's all well, though. She told me that Susan Bones is still looking for a date and that I should ask her."

"Son of a bitch," Harry thought to himself. Who was he supposed to ask now? He was getting more desperate by the minute, almost regretting turning down the random Hufflepuff that had asked him days earlier.

"Oh," Was all Harry said in reply.

"Don't worry about it Neville, Parvati still doesn't have a date either," Lavender smirked. Parvati just rolled her eyes at her friends insistent need to set everyone up, no matter who with.

"Really? You don't seem to be the type to go so long without finding a date, Parvati. I thought I heard some guy from Beauxbatons asked you last week," Dean said. Harry was as surprised as Dean, expecting that Parvati had found a date ages ago.

"Well, that doesn't mean I said yes, does it?" Parvati answered. "Maybe I'm waiting for the right guy to ask me,"

"Don't wait too long or you'll be in the same boat as these losers," Seamus laughed, punching Harry in the shoulder.

"Oh shove it, Finnegan."

"It's not my fault you don't have a date," Seamus continued. Harry groaned aloud and looked towards Parvati.

"Parvati, would you like to go to the Ball with me?" Harry regretted it the second he began to speak. Surely she would just say no, and he would have to act like he wasn't embarrassed. Parvati was way too unpredictable to ask out in front of so many people.

"I would love to, Harry," She beamed as she proudly answered. Harry let out a figurative sigh of relief. He had taken a gamble there without properly thinking it through, and he got lucky.

To be honest, going to the Yule Ball with Parvati sounded like fun. For one, she was good conversation. After about a week of hanging out with the group of people he currently sat with, he found that the only person he had trouble talking with was Lavender. Second, she was pretty. He and practically every other fourth year boy knew it. Overall, she was a safe date, and he was beginning to thank Seamus in his head for pushing him to ask her.

"I guess you really can shove it now, Seamus," Dean joked.

"I would say this was a productive breakfast, wouldn't you guys? I managed to get both of you boys dates and I barely even had to try," Lavender bragged, flipping her hair dramatically.

"Hannah said no, and how was any of that you?" Neville reminded.

With an airy wave of her hand, she replied, "Details. At least I got you to ask her."

"Who said it was you? I think it was my opinion that made him ask her," No one really thought it all too funny, but Seamus laughed at his joke all the same.

Life as Harry Potter was slowly settling down. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it, yet.

"When are you planning on asking Susan?" Harry asked Neville as he copied the boy's potions essay. Snape, being the spiteful git that he is, had assigned a 3 foot essay due the day that classes resumed after the Christmas break. Neville had chosen to finish the assignment early.

"I was thinking about today, actually. You know how we always pass her after Defense, and she's always alone. I figured it would be the best time." Neville confessed. He was leafing absentmindedly through the giant herbology book that Moody had given him.

"Sounds like a plan," Harry had only about 3 inches to go, but he decided to cut the essay short. He doubted Snape would pay enough mind to notice. He sloppily condensed Neville's last paragraph into two awkward sentences.

"Speaking of Defense, don't you think Moody's been acting a bit odd? I mean, he keeps staring at me like I'm gonna flee the classroom," Harry rolled his essay into a neat cylinder and tucked it into his bag. One of the positive habits that he had picked up from Hermione was organized class work.

"I haven't noticed," Neville replied, standing from his bed and walking towards the door. "Let's get going, I want to give this book back to Professor before class." Neville held the abnormally thick book in one hand, gesturing to the door with it.

The walk to the Defense class was uneventful. They talked about Herbology the entire way, Harry mostly just listening to his friend ramble on happily.

Harry set his things near the back of the classroom, taking a seat and sitting in silence as Neville went to return the book. He noticed that the class was mostly empty, containing only a few Slytherins and two Gryffindors. To be specific, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the very front of the class room.

Harry sighed as he often did whenever thinking about his former friend. There was little other words that could be used to describe his relationship with Ron anymore. It had been over a month since they had a legitimate conversation. Ron had thrown a jealous fit the second that he found out Harry was somehow entered into the tournament, and he hadn't spoken to him since.

Thankfully, Hermione either believed him, or didn't care. She supported him in any way she could, and Harry made sure to thank her for it every time he got the chance. Upon seeing her talking with Ron on the other side of the room, Harry felt a pang of jealousy. The feeling was quickly thrown aside and replaced. Harry almost felt bad that she had to talk to the boy, but then again, it was her choice.

Since then, Harry made more friends than he had in the rest of his time at Hogwarts. It was almost as if Ron had been keeping him from knowing other people. Neville had pulled him into the Group, as Harry was beginning to think of it. The Group consisted of himself, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and Lavender. They welcomed him with open arms. Unsurprisingly, Harry found that having more friends was much easier than restricting himself to only two. Along with his new Gryffindor friends, Harry was also getting to know quite a few Hufflepuffs well. Susan and Hannah seemed to be the Hufflepuff equivalent of Harry and Neville; they were inseparable.

Neville returned just as the rest of the students filed in. "You ok, mate?" he asked uncertainly at seeing his friends expression.

Harry nodded his reply and sent his attention to the one legged Professor at the head of the Class.

* * *

><p>"That was… boring." Neville said. They was walking through the door into the hallway leading away from the Defense classroom.<p>

"Odd, most of his lessons are interesting. I guess maybe he just wasn't feeling up to it today."

They walked in silence for less than a minute before Susan's lone figure could be made out at the end of the hall. Harry wordlessly observed the way she walked, noticing that it was slightly boyish. This was, in Harry's opinion, the only truly unfavorable thing about her physically. She was relatively short, standing a good three or so inches below Harry's average height. Her hair was long, reaching well below her shoulder blades. She was pale, though most girls at Hogwarts were. The first thing most boys Harry's age would notice about her was that she was about as curvy as fourteen year old girls get. Perhaps the most striking feature about her, though, was her dark red color of her hair. As she walked closer to the boys, Harry was forced to stop staring in fear she would notice his gaze.

Harry was uncertain whether he was supposed to stay or leave. Neville had never really specified. Harry decided, without giving it much thought, to let Neville ask her alone.

"Hey Sue, do you have a minute?" Neville smiled as she approached. Harry felt a pang of jealousy at hearing Neville call her by the name 'Sue.' Harry had been first in abbreviating her name, and he had never heard Neville say it until now.

"Sure, what can I do for you?" She asked politely, in a very Susan way. Harry had noticed that though she was very sarcastic at times, she had a very good idea of when to act accordingly.

Harry waved and smiled at the red head before continuing forward. He examined her face one last time before turning away to leave Neville in whatever amount of privacy he could get in a hallway crowded with teenagers.

Harry struggled not to look back and spy on his friend. Though he wouldn't admit, he had a small crush on Susan Bones. After thinking back on the detention he had shared with her, he realized how much fun she was. Never before had a night with Filch been so amusing, and there was no one else to credit but Susan. Harry had come to the conclusion that he found her very attractive. She was clever, smart, and kind to those who deserved it. From what he could tell, she was painfully independent, something that only further increasing his attraction to her. On top of it all, she was one of the prettiest witches in the year.

After walking slowly down the hall for about two minutes, Harry finally turned around to see Neville smiling broadly and quickly walking towards him in an effort to catch up. Harry stopped his walking and smiled to his friend. Neville answered with an even wider smile and two thumbs up. Harry chuckled at the boy's goofy actions.

"She said yes," Neville stated obviously.

"Really now?"

"Yes."

"Well that's brilliant. I'm happy for you, Neville." Harry truly was happy for his friend, but he secretly wished that nothing would come of Neville and Susan's date.

"Don't worry, she said yes to going with me _as friends_, Harry," Neville said, smiling knowingly.

Harry groaned, "Am I always that obvious?"

Neville laughed but didn't answer. Instead, he quickened his pace in his walk back to Gryffindor common room. Sighing, Harry had little choice but to follow.

* * *

><p>"Bloody buggering hell, my hair is never going to stay down,"<p>

It was Christmas day, the day of the Yule Ball. Nearly every inhabitant of the 4th year Gryffindor Boy's dormitory was scrambling to finish preparing for the event.

"Would you people _please_ keep it down? Some people are trying to do work," Ron had asked no one to the Ball and had decided that not going at all was better than going alone. Every other person in the room rolled their eyes, knowing very well that Ron was most definitely not doing any sort of work.

"Give it up, Harry," Dean advised. Harry had spent the last ten minutes reapplying a spell that Lavender had taught him for this occasion in particular.

"I don't even know what I'm doing wrong." Harry was desperate at this point. He had been ready for a while now, needing only to tame his hair.

"I think it's just your hair, Harry. You're just too hairy," Once again, no one but Seamus laughed at his own joke.

"It's hopeless," Harry conceded defeat, at this point only hoping that Parvati didn't think too badly of him for leaving his hair in such a state.

Another ten minutes found Harry and Seamus downstairs, leaning on the back of one of the many couches in the room. They waited, mostly patient, for their dates. Neville and Dean had left only moments ago to find their own dates. Harry imagined Neville walking with Susan. Once again, he silently wished that he and Neville could have switched dates somehow so that Harry could go with Susan. Though Harry agreed that Parvati was a wonderful date, he knew that he would much rather be going with Susan Bones.

They only had to wait about thirty more seconds before Lavender and Parvati arrived. Lavender came down first, dressed in a dark brown dress that reached just above her knees. It was short, especially by wizarding standards. Harry wondered where she would find such a muggle looking dress. As she walked closer, Harry noticed that her heels put her at eye level with Harry, and unfortunately for Seamus, about an inch taller than her date.

Harry smiled broadly at the sight of Parvati walking down the stairs. She was almost an opposite to Lavender. She wore an off white dress that was of similar style to Lavender's, though hers looked much more normal in wizarding style. It was also much longer, reaching almost down to the floor. Her hair was done completely down and curled, a pleasant contrast to the normal half bun that she kept it in. Harry paid little attention to anything other than the fact that she was absolutely stunning.

"Hello Harry," She greeted him before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him intimately. Although Harry hugged most of his female friends in greeting, his hugs with Parvati were always much friendlier. He had yet to notice that this was the case with many of the boys that Parvati hugged.

"Hello Parvati. You look wonderful," Harry questioned himself about the generic compliment. Although knowing Parvati considerably well had helped, the awkwardness was still there. There was no getting around the fact that Harry was very much inexperienced when it came to girls.

"Why thank you Harry. You look very handsome," the hug had ended, but her arms remained around his neck. Harry responded by leaving his arms where they were, around her lower back.

Unlike Harry, she obviously knew what she was doing. Harry blushed at her words and released his hold on her. She laughed at his reaction and looped her arm in his.

Harry suddenly blanched at the simple action. He had come to the sudden realization that he was completely unsure of whether they were going together as friends or something more. He had forgotten to ask, though Harry was quite sure that even had he remembered, he wouldn't have asked her. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he adjusted his arm and followed her towards the portrait hole.

Once outside the common room, the four friends made one long line. Parvati took Seamus' arm connecting the two couples. Normally, this would probably convince Harry of his company as a friend, but Parvati had taken to smiling at him about every 5 seconds. Harry didn't mind being smiled at by a very pretty girl such as Parvati, but it served to further confuse him as to the intentions of their date.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. You and Miss Patil can wait with the other Champions and their escorts over there," McGonagall pointed towards 6 other people standing near the entrance to the Great Hall. Harry thanked her and led Parvati, holding his arm with both hands now, to the others.

Perhaps the biggest surprise he would get all night was when he saw the blushing face of Hermione among them. She was hanging on the arm of, even more surprisingly, Victor Krum. Harry raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Instead, he smiled at her and waited in silence for further instruction from McGonagall.

Dinner was also a relatively quiet affair at the Champion's table. Generally, only the couples spoke to each other. Before they even knew it, it was time to open for the first dance.

"Harry, calm down. You're going to do wonderfully," Parvati attempted to encourage the nervous Harry. She smiled brightly at him as they walked into their position on the dance floor. Harry was suddenly felt as if every eye in the room was watching him.

Harry, somewhat startled when the music began, recalled all of the steps to the dance. He had gone to nearly every lesson McGonagall held in fear of embarrassing himself and Parvati. He smiled lightly as he realized that it wasn't without reward. He danced easily to the music, barely having to think about what he was doing.

"I told you so," Parvati smirked minutes later. The dance floor had been filled after the Champions' dance went off without a hitch. Harry stuck his tongue out at her in reply. "That's no way to treat a lady, Harry. Maybe I'll have to teach you how to properly talk to a pretty girl," Harry smiled at Parvati's open flirting. She was good at it, and he had much practice in flirting back with her.

"I don't think pretty quite covers it, Parvati," Harry grinned at her blush.

They danced for a few minutes more before Parvati suggested that they take a break and sit at one of the many tables littered around the room. On their short walk to the nearest table, Parvati took his hand in hers and smiled brightly at him. He groaned inwardly but returned her smile anyway.

Most everything that she had done lead him to believe that they were only attending the Ball as friends, but then she would go and do something like this to make him question. In all honesty, Harry was hoping that she wouldn't think anything of him asking her to the Ball. He had asked her spur of the moment and hadn't had time to think about everything.

"What's wrong, Harry? You look distracted." Harry pondered whether he should explain his thoughts, but quickly decided against it. If he was wrong, then she would likely take offense by his uncertainty. Harry made a note to ask Lavender about it when he saw her next. She promised him a dance, so hopefully he would find out soon.

"I was just thinking, is all." He mentally rolled his eyes at the lameness of his reply. Parvati also noticed the insincerity and raised one eyebrow at him. Thankfully, she didn't have time to question him further. Susan and Neville were quickly approaching their table. Harry happily noticed that, unlike himself and Parvati, they weren't holding hands. Upon realizing this, Harry quickly acted as if his left arm itched, thus removing his hand from Parvati's. He didn't want Susan getting any ideas about Harry and Parvati. He sighed in relief when Parvati didn't make a move to retake his hand.

"Hey guys, how's your time going so far?" Neville smiled at his two friends. He was obviously happy about something, and he gave Harry a look as if to say that he would be hearing about it later.

"Wonderful," Parvati answered for the both of them. Harry would agree that he was having quite the time with his pretty Indian friend.

As the four friends continued to converse, Harry had to make a conscious effort to not stare at Susan. In fact, it was painfully obvious, and all of the people there noticed the frequent glances he would send her way. Harry, of course, had no idea that he was so easy to read. In his eyes, the looks he gave her were cleverly disguised.

Unfortunately, Parvati didn't take well to noticing her date eye up the girl in front of her. She retook Harry's hand as she spoke, pulling him closer. Harry sighed, under normal circumstances the contact would be much welcome, but the situation was different with Susan around.

"Parvati, how about that dance you promised me?" Neville offered. Harry smiled and made note to thank his friend later. His excitement was short lived, killed by Parvati's unexpected reply.

"Actually, Harry and I were just about to go dance. Later, I promise," Parvati was obviously not going to let her date get stolen. She had fought for a date with Harry Potter, and she wasn't about to cut that short.

Harry forced a smile and allowed himself to be pulled away by his date. He waved his good bye to his best friend and the girl he liked. His departure was not completely without victory. He didn't miss the obviously disappointed look on Susan's face. Perhaps later he would be free to dance with her.

"What was that, Harry Potter? Can't control your hormones?" Parvati whispered into his ear as they swayed to the slow music being played in the back ground.

Harry could feel his face grow hot. Now _that_ he had not expected to hear. Apparently, Parvati was taking the situation worse that he had previously imagined.

"What?" He answered quietly, stalling while he could think of his excuse.

"Don't try to hide it, Harry. I saw you gawking at her, we all did. Don't forget that I'm the one you took to this dance." Harry found himself unpleasantly surprised by her attitude. She was overreacting, obviously. It was just a few innocent looks.

"Parvati, what's gotten into you? It was nothing, honestly!" He lied. There was little else he felt he could do at that point.

"Oh bollocks, Harry. You better find some way to make it up to me quick, or so help me I'll never speak to you again." Harry rolled his eyes, thankfully she couldn't see them. His date was quickly turning out for the worst and he didn't expect that there was anything he could do to salvage it besides to apologize.

"I'm sorry Parvati. I should have controlled myself." Harry offered feebly.

"Damn right." She said. Though it wasn't uncommon to hear Parvati curse, she rarely cursed at people. "Keep going,"

Harry paused for a second, thinking of how to best make amends. "I'm glad that you're my date and I'm sorry that I'm so bad at showing it," He wasn't exactly lying. He was glad that he had gone with Parvati, it was just that he would be more glad to go with Susan. She didn't need to know that, though.

"You're a git sometimes, Harry," Parvati accepted his apology. He pulled away from her to look at her face. She was obviously upset. Her brow was creased and the thin line that formed between between her eyebrows when she was thinking began to take shape.

"I can't help it. I didn't mean to upset you, Parvati," Harry was genuine this time. He really didn't like to upset people. Parvati was one of the few people who he strived to please, and seeing that he had caused her to be so upset made him feel regret. Maybe he really should've controlled himself. He sighed, Parvati really had a way with making people feel guilty.

"So what are you going to do to make it up to me?" She was asking for something, but Harry wasn't sure what.

If Harry was unsure of her intentions in this date before, the uncertainty was all but gone now. He was fairly sure that she had read further into his invitation than she did. Now was the tough part: figuring out a way to avoid further excursions like this.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Harry replied.

Parvati rolled her eyes and looked at Harry. He was confused. Sometimes, she forgot about his inexperience with girls. "Never mind, Harry. Just dance," She let it go. For now.

They danced for a few more songs before Harry asked for a break. Parvati seemed reluctant to leave the dance floor, but she allowed herself to be pulled along by Harry. This time, he grabbed her hand himself. He was desperate to make up for his previous behavior, realizing now that he was out of line. He had decided that he was going to do his best to push Susan Bones from his mind and instead enjoy his time with Parvati.

"Let's take a walk," Parvati suggested. At Harry's smile and nod, Parvati blushed. They continued to walk, this time out of the Hall. Parvati cheerfully took note of Harry's apparent lack of interest in Susan Bones dancing with Justin Finch-Fletchey. Instead of trying to sneak in a glance, she was happy to see that he continued his sentence without faltering. She took great satisfaction in his attempt to make up for his earlier mistake.

In reality, Harry had been too busy telling his story to notice the red head laying her shoulder on her fellow Hufflepuff.

Parvati and Harry wandered the grounds for a few minutes, passing by many intimate couples. Harry made a point to ignore them, wishing only for some fresh air. Parvati, on the other hand, was making careful record of nearly every couple they saw.

They had just reached the rosebushes when they were met with the hushed whispers of Professor Snape.

_"... don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor."_

_"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroffs voice sounded_

_anxious and hushed, as though keen not to be overheard. "It's been getting clearer_

_and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it _"_

_"Then flee," said Snapes voice curtly. "Flee - I will make your excuses. I,_

_however, am remaining at Hogwarts."_

_Snape and Karkaroff came around the corner. Snape had his wand out and was_

_blasting rosebushes apart, his expression most ill-natured. Squeals issued from_

_many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them._

_"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Snape snarled as a girl ran past him. "And_

_ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" as a boy went rushing after her. "And_

_what are you two doing?"_

_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pg. 426_

"We were just walking, Professor. I don't suppose there's anything wrong with walking around," Harry spat in retaliation. Something about the man's mere presence set Harry off.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your attitude, Potter. Leave," Snape was obviously struggling to not take even more points from his least favorite house.

Harry was quickly thinking of a response, but Parvati wisely pulled him away from further points deducted and possibly even detentions. She gave him a look that shut him up before he could even protest.

"Sometimes, there's nothing I want to do more than to blast that git's bits off." Parvati admitted, speaking for the two of them. They walked slowly back in the direction they came from.

Harry nearly ignored her. He nodded before pushing the subject aside. "What do you suppose Karkaroff was talking about?"

Parvati sighed. She hoped that he would have forgotten about it. Her doubts were affirmed and she did her best to discourage the topic, "I don't know, Harry. Does it honestly matter?"

"Of course it does! What if they're up to something? Why would Karkaroff be so scared that he left the school?"

"I don't know." Parvati grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the crowded, stuffy Great Hall. They skipped the table where half of the Group and their dates were mingling and instead went straight to the floor directly in front of the band.

"I love this song," Parvati confessed. Harry smiled, having never heard it before himself.

The song was soon over and Harry was surprised to see a tall, blonde boy from Beauxbatons walk over and tap Parvati on the shoulder.

"May I 'ave thees next dance?" His question was directed at a very red faced Parvati. She looked at Harry as if to ask his permission. Harry grinned at her and shrugged. She turned to the boy and nodded, allowing him to take her hand and pull her to a different part of the dance floor. Harry absently wondered what the purpose of that was. It's not like there wasn't enough room where they were.

Taking his exit, Harry headed back to the table he had seen before, smiling broadly at the sight of his many friends standing around it. The only people missing were Parvati and Lavender.

"Did your date ditch you, too?" Seamus grinned good naturedly at him. Harry laughed but chose not to reply. "Join the club," Harry finally noticed that all of the boys here were missing their dates.

"Is it Luc? I heard her talking about him the other day," Hermione offered, appearing almost out of nowhere..Harry once again shrugged. He hadn't been introduced to the boy. He didn't really mind, he had given him a break.

"How's Krum?" Neville asked her. He elbowed her playfully in the arm. Harry was expecting a blush, but instead she just smiled.

"He's getting us drinks, actually. He's been the perfect gentlemen all night," She boasted happily.

"Well good for you. My dates getting us drinks too," Dean said, laughing at something that no one else understood. "That was about an hour ago,"

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. Dean had the rottenest luck when it came to girls.

"Hey Harry, how about you go ask Susan to dance? She looks rather bored, if you ask me," Dean poked a thumb in the direction of Susan. She was talking idly with Hannah. She was only a short distance away, but Harry was mostly sure that the noise in the Hall was enough to cover their conversation.

Sighing at the apparently common knowledge that he fancied Susan, Harry shook his head. "I don't know, Parvati was pretty upset earlier when she caught be eyeing up Susan. I don't think she would take very kindly to me dancing with her,"

Neville snorted at the news that Parvati had gotten upset. While the thought of his date and his best friend going off to dance made him slightly uncomfortable, he knew that Harry's night wouldn't be truly enjoyable until he had.

"Right jealous, she is. But hey, she's the one off dancing with another bloke. Why can't you?" Seamus' argument was convincing.

"Well, she did ask first," Harry countered.

"Do you honestly believe it would've changed anything? I say you go have a dance with the girl you fancy, mate. I'm sure Parv will understand," He ended by taking a sip of his punch and raising both eyebrows at Harry.

"You don't mind, do you Neville?" Harry asked, hoping desperately for a negative. He beamed at his friend when he was answered with a shake of the head.

"Good luck!" Dean offered as Harry walked over to Susan. Harry grinned back nervously.

On his way over to the two Hufflepuffs, he finally got a chance to really look at Susan. She looked great, there really wasn't much else to say. She wore modern witch's dress robes that hugged her body. The chocolate colored fabric contrasted pleasantly with her somewhat pale complexion. Her hair was done down, it seemed like most of the young witch's had chosen this similar hairstyle.

Harry's musings were interrupted as he watched Ernie Macmillian approach the very Hufflepuff he was on his way over to. Harry cursed under his breath. He couldn't quite make out what was said, but it was obvious that he had asked her to dance. Harry watched as she was pulled into the crowd.

"Buggering hell," He muttered. He had almost turned around before he noticed Hannah Abbott now standing alone. She awkwardly looked around for someone to talk to, but she was met with no familiar faces. Harry, a thought coming to him, continued on.

"Would you like to dance, Hannah?" He offered her his hand.

She looked mostly relieved that she was not left alone and also pleasantly surprised at his appearance. "Sure,"

Neville had watched all that transpired and felt mildly betrayed.

Harry had decided to let Hannah believe that he had intended to ask her in the first place, but she was too clever. "Did you come to ask Susan?" She laughed at Harry's expression. He had the grace to look embarrassed, turning a bright red at her accusation.

He nodded, now thoroughly uncomfortable. "Don't worry, I figured as much," It didn't do much to help.

"Hey Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"Does Neville like me?"

Harry laughed at her question. He wasn't surprised to hear it. Did Neville like Hannah? She might as well have asked him if Snape's hair was greasy. "I think it would be safe to say that," Harry replied, hoping that Neville didn't hate him for exposing him. Although it was painfully obvious, it was another thing for his best friend to tell Hannah himself.

"Really? That's what I thought, but I was beginning to wonder. I've been waiting for him to ask me out, or at least tell me that he likes me." Now that, Harry was surprised to hear. Harry had a short feeling of guilt at his shock to hear that Hannah had feelings for Neville.

"Do you want him to ask you out?" Harry asked.

"Of course. I really wouldn't be asking you if I didn't, Harry," Hannah spoke as if it was obvious.

"Maybe I'll talk to him about it, then."

"Would you? Don't tell him we had this conversation, though. I don't want to seem desperate," Harry laughed at this, knowing well that desperate would be the last thing to cross Neville's mind.

"Sure," Harry knew very well that he would be telling Neville exactly what happened, but Hannah didn't need to know that.

"Thanks, I owe you one," She smiled at him. Harry wondered to himself just how long she had been waiting.

"Maybe you can help me out, then. You see…"

Hannah finished his sentence for him, "You want to know about Susan? She likes you, Harry."

He wasn't sure whether he was expecting that answer or not. He smiled to himself nonetheless, and continued, "Really? She's pretty good at hiding it,"

Hannah snorted, "Well just because she isn't blatantly obvious like you…" Once again Harry found blood rushing to his face. He sputtered, trying in vain to defend himself. Hannah ignored him, "What about Parvati?"

Harry was taken by surprise at these words. What about Parvati? She was just his friend who he took to the Yule Ball. Right? What was everyone else thinking?

"What do you mean? We're just friends." Harry defended.

"That's not what I heard. To be honest, it doesn't really seem like it either. You looked pretty happy out there on the dance floor," Her words made Harry grimace.

"Well I can't have some fun with my friends? Susan looks pretty happy with Macmillian over there, should I be worried?" Harry retorted rudely.

Hannah sighed and spoke again, "Harry, I'm just saying that it seems like you guys are a little more than just friends. Do you hug all your friends like that? I at least know that she doesn't think so."

So he was right. Of course he was, things were never that simple. What did he do now? If he acted on his feelings for Susan, Parvati would likely end up shunning him. Of course, if Parvati stopped talking to him, then so would Lavender. If things kept going as they had been, pretty soon Lavender would pull Seamus from him too. Was Susan Bones really worth three of his friends?

"Bloody hell," He whispered. For the first time, he wished he had gone to the Yule Ball alone.

"All I know, Harry, is that you should probably figure things out with Parvati before you do anything with Susan."

'Obviously,' Harry thought to himself. He was quickly growing bitter about the situation.

"Susan's back from her dance with Ernie. Do you still want to go ask her to dance?" Hannah already knew his answer.

"Well I don't think what I want really matters right now. Tell her that I'm sorry I didn't find any time to dance with her. I think I'll go find Parvati, now. She'll likely be looking for me soon. Thanks for your help, Hannah," He thanked her, despite all the drama she had revealed to him. Whether he liked it or not, she likely saved him from even more trouble than he was already in.

"Sure thing, Harry. Don't forget to have that talk with Neville, alright?"

Harry replied by smiling and nodding his head. Hannah turned to leave and Harry followed suit, walking in the direction of Parvati. She was standing alone and she smiled happily at his approaching form. Harry inwardly sighed. Just how much did Parvati like him?

"Thanks for letting me dance with Luc. I completely forgot that I told him I would save him a dance, I'm really sorry,"

"Don't worry, Parvati. I don't mind at all," Harry forced himself to return her smile.

"Do you want to dance?" She asked after a few seconds of silence. It usually wasn't awkward between Harry and Parvati, but Harry was too busy thinking about everything Hannah said to make any real conversation.

"Honestly, I think I've had enough dancing for one night. Would it be okay if we just went back to the table?" Harry didn't feel like dancing. On top of that, he really hated the activity altogether.

Parvati seemed relieved at his answer. Apparently, she was thinking along the same lines. "Thank goodness, I'm exhausted."

Harry thanked her for her acceptance and they began walking towards their friends. Harry made sure not to make any sort of movement towards her hand. Best not remind her. Thankfully, she kept her hands to herself.

"We saw that earlier, mate. Looked painful," Dean began. Harry noticed that Parvati, though talking to Lavender, was still in earshot. He gave dean a warning look and made a motion to nonverbally quiet him. Harry was answered with a raised eyebrow from Dean and confused expressions from the other boys. Harry just shook his head.

"So you lot just sat around here the entire dance?" Harry laughed at their disgruntled looks.

"We were standing you git," Neville attempted to look annoyed but the efforts were ruined by the smile on his face.

"We were actually all just about to head in. You coming?" Dean spoke for the Group. Seamus and Lavender muttered some words of agreement. Harry glanced at Parvati and noticed that she seemed plenty ready to leave. She was standing closest to the doors of all of them and she seemed itching to run.

After wondering to himself for a split second what had caused Parvati such the desire to leave, he spoke his affirmative reply and began heading out of the Great Hall with his friends.

"So, how was Susan?" Harry asked Neville halfway up the first set of stairs. They had broken into pairs a few moments ago, all talking animatedly about the nights events.

"She was alright. We talked about you the whole night, pretty much," Apparently, this bothered Neville. He was looking at the ground, almost in shame.

"Well, with looks like this, I can imagine I was the topic of many conversations tonight," Harry joked arrogantly. He straightened his robes in a mock-Malfoy fashion.

Neville snorted, "Yeah. Imagine being the key word in that sentence,"

After a few seconds of silence, Harry continued, "So you talked about me? That's funny, Hannah and I were talking about Sue," Neville continued to look somewhat sulky. Sometimes, the boy could be painfully similar to Ron, if maybe in milder ways. "And you, of course. Not that it matters, or anything," Harry laughed loudly at his friend's sudden change of mood. Neville's head had snapped up and he had stopped walking.

"What did she say? If you spoke one ill word about me, Potter, I swear I'll…" He started.

"You'll what?" Harry was still laughing at his friend's nearly crazed look. It was amazing what a girl could do to a teenage boy. "Don't worry. She was the one to bring up the subject, actually."

Neville didn't speak, instead he began walking again. Harry followed and continued with his story after receiving a look from Neville, "Apparently, she's been waiting for you to ask her out for a while now,"

Neville immediately broke out into the biggest grin he had ever worn, "You're bloody serious?"

"Dead serious, mate. I hate to say it, but I damn right told you so," Harry smirked at his friend's smiling face.

"When do you think I should ask her?" Harry was about to answer his friend but before he could, he was met with the voice of Cedric Diggory.

"Hey – Harry!"

Harry turned around to see the boy half-running towards him. Everyone stopped and waited for him to speak. "Yeah?" Harry asked after Cedric was close enough.

"Well," He looked around at the others, then back at Harry. "Could I speak to you, in private?"

"So you can curse him into throwing the tournament?" Seamus accused, causing both Harry and Cedric to blush lightly.

"Don't, worry guys, I think I could handle little old Cedric, don't you?" Harry joked and they continued on.

Cedric lowered his voice this time, "Listen, I owe you for that warning 'bout the dragons. Your egg, have you figured it out yet?"

Harry shook his head and waited for Cedric to continue. "Well, just," Cedric struggled to word his sentence correctly, "Take a bath with it? Maybe go for a swim somewhere and take your egg," Harry's face obviously explained his confusion. "Just, trust me alright? It'll help you think."

Was he pulling his leg or something? He didn't have much time to wonder. Cedric was motioning to leave. "Gotta go… want to say good night, you know." He grinned at Harry before heading back to Cho, who Harry noticed was standing off at the bottom of the stairs. She waved politely at Harry, who returned it with a smile. He had gotten over her a few days or so ago, realizing that while she may be pretty, there were many more desirable girls at Hogwarts. Thoughts of Susan and, oddly enough, Parvati passed through his mind.

Harry walked by himself back to Gryffindor Tower that night. He didn't mind, it gave him time to think. He thought about Cedric's odd advice, his conversation with Hannah about her feelings for Neville, how he had never gotten in that dance with Lavender or Hermione. Most of all, he thought about how Parvati and Susan were going to end up driving him mad. Harry had a feeling that tonight was the beginning of much more drama to come.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

Notes on the chapter:

Although most of the banter in the first few chapters seems pointless, I'm using it to characterize the people in the story. Most of them are either underdeveloped in canon or they're OOC in this story. This Chapter was also used as an exposition into life in the Group. They're all friends, but that doesn't mean there isn't drama. Expect to see much much more Parvati drama in the chapters to come.

In the next chapter: Gillyweed, Nightly excursions into Hogsmeade, and the answer to the egg's riddle

EDIT1: After receiving many convincing reviews, I've decided to work Hermione back into the story. There just was no reason for her abandonment of Harry. I thank all of the reviewers that helped me realize this.


	3. Dizzy

**Important: **If you haven't seen, I decided to do add some changes to the first few chapters. The only major one being the addition of Hermione into the story. If you don't wish to reread the chapters, which I myself would not, then please just take note that Hermione is now just as civil towards Harry as ever. Ron remains unchanged.

**The Trials of Being Harry Potter**

Dizzy

"Keep it down, Harry! You'll wake up the others. Merlin knows that they would say about us being in the bathroom at two in the morning," Neville stood clad in nothing but his pajama pants. He held the golden egg awkwardly against his side. The color of the egg did little to help disguise the paleness of his bare chest.

"Alright, just hurry up," Harry whispered to his friend as e held his hands out to receive the egg.

After their previous attempt to sneak out into the Black Lake had failed the night before, they had decided that the Gryffindor Boys bathrooms would have to suffice. Harry was eager to figure out what Cedric had meant in his words only a week ago. It was the already the first weekend of January, and with the 2nd task approaching at the end of February, Harry had decided to figure out the egg as soon as possible.

Neville nearly dropped the precious egg while handing it to Harry. His heart stopped when the egg slipped from his fingers. Thankfully, Harry's quidditch honed reflexes saved the day. Harry made sure to handle it with care as he dropped it into the tub of warm water.

Harry looked to Neville. By now, he was getting fairly anxious. What if this was all just a hoax by Cedric to throw him off? Harry quickly shook the thought from his head. Cedric would never do that… Right?

Harry deftly twisted the knob at the top of the egg and quickly threw his now wet hands to cover his ears. Surprisingly, there was no loud screeching sound that they had both expected. Instead, there was a dull humming that sounded almost muffled by something.

"Stick your head in," Neville said vaguely. Harry responded with an odd look, but he followed his friends advice despite his doubt. He inhaled deeply and dunked his head into the water.

Harry was so shocked at the sound that he heard that his mouth opened and the air he had stored in his lungs escaped. His lungs now freshly emptied attempted to refill themselves. Harry was forced to throw his head back and out of the tub, spewing water from both his nose and his mouth.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Neville asked in hushed but urgent tones.

After taking his time to completely empty his lungs of the water, Harry said, "It's singing! Listen for yourself!" Neville, instead of replying, ran to the tub and submerged his head just as Harry had done moments before. Thirty seconds later, he resurfaced.

"Harry, can you cast the bubble head charm on my head? I can't stay under for long enough," Harry nodded and pulled his semi damp wand out of his pocket and cast the charm. He quickly dried the floors before casting the spell again, this time on himself. He took his place on Neville's right side. The charm muffled the words slightly, but they were still very much discernable.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour- the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back"

The song looped back and started again. Harry and Neville listened so many times that they lost count. It must've been ten minutes before the pain in their backs from leaning over became too much for them to handle and the removed their heads from the water.

"What does it mean?" Harry asked his friend after another few minutes of thinking. His hair was still dripping onto the floor so he moved to grab a towel off of the wall. He took an extra and tossed it to Neville.

"Well I think it's obvious, isn't it? They're going to take something and hide it in the Black Lake, and you're going to have to find it in an hour. From the sound of it, there will be mermaids involved, too." Neville scrubbed his head with the white towel.

"The pretty kind?" Harry asked, somewhat confused as to what a mermaid had to do with the Tournament.

"I don't know what you've heard, but there is no such thing as a pretty kind of mermaid, mate," Neville replied regretfully. What does that mean?

"Well, you got all of that from those 8 lines? All I figured was that we had an hour to look for something and if we didn't get it, it would be lost." Neville rolled his eyes at Harry's ignorance.

"Thank you, captain obvious. We spent twenty minutes listening to that thing and that' all you've got? Pathetic," Neville joked and threw his not wet towel at Harry. Once again, Harry's reflexes kicked in and he caught the towel quickly.

"Oh whatever, at least now we know what we're up against."

"Yeah, but how are you going to breathe underwater for a whole hour?"

Harry looked at Neville as if he was some sort of animal, "The bubble head charm! And you said I was pathetic!"

In an attempt to hide his blush, Neville splashed water on his face. At that very moment, while Neville was bent over the semi full tub and Harry was sitting on the floor with the egg in his lap, Dean chose to walk in.

He walked through the door with a very tired look in his eyes; he had obviously just woken up. At first, he didn't notice the two boys. He continued to the nearest urinal, where he began to untie his pajama pants.

"Er, Dean?" Harry asked before he could get too far.

Dean's eyes flew wide and his head whipped in Harry's direction so fast that Harry would've thought it was by some spell. The dark skinned boy looked to Harry, then to Neville, then back to Harry. His eyes were still as wide as saucers. "Bloody hell!" He screamed as loud as he could. Neville and Harry quickly shushed him. "What in God's name are you two doing in the bathroom in the middle of the night?" Despite their previous efforts to quiet him, he still nearly yelled his question.

"Keep it down, Dean!"

"Well why don't you tell me what you're doing, first!" He had yet to lower his voice.

"We're figuring out this egg! It's the clue for the second task." Harry conceded. He doubted the answer would satisfy Dean, but it was the truth.

"At 2 in the bloody morning? Are you mental?" At least now he was whispering, even if very loudly.

"Just go back to bed Dean," Neville offered.

"Well can I at least go the restroom?" He left moments later, muttering something about insane celebrities and their friends.

"I told you so…" Harry said to Neville as they dried the floors.

"That was me, mate." Neville replied. Harry looked at his friend for a second before realizing the truth. He laughed and shook it off. He needed some sleep.

* * *

><p>"Harry, have you ever heard of Gillyweed?" Neville whispered to his friend. They were in the library and Madam Pince had already warned them of speaking too loudly, so he was making sure not to give her anything else to complain about.<p>

Harry shook his head and continued to turn the pages of the book in his hands. It was on underwater spells, but most of them would serve no use to Harry. Why would he need to know how to turn the water around him black? Seemed a bit odd.

"Well I read about it in that book Professor Moody gave me. It pretty much turns you into a fish man or something. Maybe you could use that?"

Harry stopped his reading and thought about it. The two had already done multiple experiments with the bubblehead charm. After another hour in the bath tub, they deduced that, though the charm would work for the most part, it seriously impaired Harry's hearing. In turn, Harry would have less time to react to a possibly dangerous situation.

"Why didn't you mention that before, Nev? Sounds perfect. How does it work?" Harry's book was now forgotten.

"Well, you eat it. Then you grow gills in fins, if I'm correct." Neville seemed somewhat unsure of himself. "Maybe we'll find something on it in here," He pulled a thin book titled "_Magical Aquatic Plants of the Seven Seas" _and flipped to the table of contents. Harry moved his chair so that he could better read the book.

"Here it is, Gillyweed, page 17." Neville flipped a few wrinkled pages and began reading aloud, "Gillyweed is –"

"Mr Longbottom and Mr Potter, if I have to ask you two to be quiet one more time, you will be removed from this esteemed establishment," Sometime in the last minute, Madam Pince had made her way over to the two Gryffindors. She looked down on them with a sternness that rivaled Professor McGonagall's.

"Yes ma'am," They whispered in unison. She stalked off, looking very unsatisfied with their answer.

Harry pointed at the book and motioned for his friend to continue, "Gillyweed is a magical plant native to the Mediterranean. The plant has many uses, the most prominent of which is by ingestion. When it is eaten, it gives that witch or wizard functioning gills along with webbed feet and hands," Neville stopped his reading to look at Harry with wide eyes. It really did sound perfect!

"Where can we get some?" Harry had forgotten Madam Pince's warning in his excitement about the plant.

"OUT!" the aged librarian roared. Apparently the warnings didn't apply to her, because she sure wasn't being quiet.

They quickly closed and gathered the many books that lie strewn across the table and scrambled to leave the library as quickly as possible. Every Hogwarts student had heard stories about Madam Pince's brutality when she was angered. Harry was in no rush to test these rumors.

Upon their exit, Harry and Neville were met with the surprising sight of Susan Bones. "Hello Sue," Harry smiled charmingly at her and as mildly disappointed that she did not blush at his greeting as she had before.

"Hello, Harry. I was just looking for you," Thankfully,they were too far from the library for Madam Pince to complain about their volume.

"Really?" There was that blush. "Well, you found me. How can I help you?"

"Well, Professor Moody assigned me some spells to learn for extra credit, and I was wondering if maybe you could help me with them. That is, if you don't mind," She smiled as she added the last part, maybe in an attempt to ensure his help. Either way, it worked.

Harry had to control himself to not immediately blurt out his "Yeah, sure," response. Susan's smile never faltered.

"Great. I have Charms pretty soon, but maybe tomorrow? How about we meet here in the library tomorrow after lunch? Are you free then?" Harry kept it to himself that he already knew she had Charms soon. He remembered nearly everything that she said to him. That wasn't too odd, was it?

"Actually, I don't think Madam Pince will appreciate my face back in there anytime soon. How about that Charms classroom where we were messing with the egg? You know…" Harry was cut off by Susan. She did that a lot.

"I know the one. You can tell me about what you two did to Madam Pince later. I'll see you there," She turned to leave what felt like only seconds after they had met. Harry found himself somewhat disappointed. On the bright side, he had a study date with Susan Bones tomorrow. He couldn't help but smile at her retreating person.

* * *

><p>"Harry, can I talk to you?" Parvati asked him. The Group was studying in the Common Room for the next day's Transfiguration Exam. Harry smiled politely at her and nodded. Seamus and Dean looked to each other and laughed, making odd noises at the two.<p>

"What can I do for you, Parvati?" Harry asked her when they were safely out of earshot from everyone in the Common Room. He was, at the moment, somewhat distracted. The source of his distractions was actually Parvati Herself. She was wearing glasses, the same glasses that she always wore when she studied. The same glasses that Harry always loved to see because they were so damn attractive. Harry had never really found glasses too attractive, but on Parvati, It was a different story.

His musings were interrupted by Parvati's response. "I just wanted to apologize about the way I acted the other night. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I realize now that we were only going as friends and I had no right to keep you to myself like that," The words were obviously previously rehearsed. This realization added to the sincerity of her apology, and Harry gladly accepted it.

"It's nothing Parvati. You were completely within reason to act the way you did." Harry felt like he was talking to an acquaintance rather than a close friend.

"Either way, I'm sorry. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to work on that Divination project tomorrow? Maybe after lunch?" Was she asking him on a study date as well? This day was getting more unreal by the second.

"Oh, well I'm sorry but I've already got plans." He felt terrible at saying the words, but they were the honest truth.

Her reaction was expected. Her eyes dropped and she looked sorely disappointed with his answer.

Harry felt terrible. Here she was apologizing to him and now he was turning her down to for another girl. He couldn't let her down that much. "Maybe, er, maybe Friday? I think I'm free Friday after Herbology, if you are."

The look of disappointment disappeared from her face and she beamed at him. "Sounds wonderful, Harry. We can walk there from herbology."

"Walk where?" He asked. Had he missed something?

Her grin grew more at his question. Harry groaned to himself, why did he have to be so nice? Now, Merlin knew where she planned on taking him. "Don't worry, you'll find out. It's a surprise," His face hid none of his uneasiness, so Parvati continued, "It's a good kind of surprise, Harry. Don't look so scared," Harry couldn't help it. Sometimes, Parvati was great. But other times, she was enthusiastic to the point that it was frightening.

"Well, I've gotta go. I need to go ask Hermione about something," She likely thought he was making it up, but he wasn't. He planned on asking Hermione about where they could find Gillyweed when she got back. She probably wasn't back yet, but who knows?

"I'll see you at dinner, then." She watched him leave, very satisfied. Parvati Patil always got what she wanted.

Harry, to his dismay, found no Hermione in sight. He had already asked Neville if he had seen her walk into the common room, but he had been answered with a negative. Just as he was about to give up the search for his friend, the portrait hole opened and in walked both Ron and Hermione.

Not expecting to see Ron, Harry was uncertain what to do. On one hand, he really needed to talk to Hermione. On the other, the prospect of interacting with the boy at her side was very discouraging. Harry waited in hope that they would separate, but instead they sat at the nearest couch. It looked as if they were in the middle of an argument, and leaving would be equal to conceding defeat. Neither of them were planning on that.

Pushing through his mixed feelings, Harry slowly walked his way over to couch on which they sat. It was the same couch that they had sat in last term while discussing the threat of Sirius Black. Harry quickly shoved the rising regret at approaching them down and spoke.

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?" Harry's eyes never left his bushy haired friend. He was too scared that meeting the eyes of the red head would lead to either a row or more regret.

"Sure, Harry. Ron, excuse me for a second," She was almost halfway standing when Ron spoke up.

"Why do you have to try to steal my friends, Potter? First Dean and Seamus, now her. Don't you have enough already?" Ron practically spat the last part at him. Harry was genuinely taken back by his words. This day was full of surprises.

"I haven't stole anything from you, Ron. Dean and Seamus talk to you all the time."

"Yeah but they're your friends, aren't they? Don't act like you guys don't get cozy over there with Lavender and Parvati," He shoved a finger in the direction of where said people were still sitting. They were oblivious to the words being exchanged about them.

"What, did you expect me to be alone, Ron? Was that your plan? To take all my friends from me?" Harry quickly turned the situation around on him. Ron glared at him.

"And you said I was the foul git," Ron tossed Harry's words back in his face, "All you had to do was tell me how you did it, Harry, but you can't even tell the truth to your best friend."

Harry had to give it him, he knew how to make it hurt. He wasn't exactly why, but hearing Ron call him Harry and his best friend in the same sentence made him want to apologize. He almost felt bad; Almost. Then, he realized that he had nothing to feel bad about. He hadn't don't a single thing wrong.

"I did tell the truth, you're just too thick to believe it. And you know what? It's not my fault that you don't have any friends." Harry knew the last part was a lie. Ron hadn't lost any friends besides Harry.

"Ron, Harry. Please, stop." Hermione interjected before Ron could continue the argument. She pulled Harry by the arm away from a glaring Ron.

"You really should fix things with him, Harry." Hermione looked desperate. Obviously, Harry and Ron's falling out had put a strain on her relationship with both of them.

"Tell it to someone else, Hermione. I didn't go and call my best friend a liar." Harry regretted saying it the second he saw Hermione's face. "I -Hermione, I didn't mean it,"

"Save it Harry. What is it you needed?" She looked hurt.

Harry chose to listen to her, "Do you know where I can get gillyweed?"

"What in the world do you need gillyweed for?" Harry suddenly realized that he had yet to tell her about their success with the egg the night before. He quickly filled her in on all he knew.

"Gillyweed sounds perfect. It's odd that you mention it, Professor Moody just gave me a book with a few pages on it," She mentioned offhandedly. Harry didn't think to put two and two together and he missed the odd coincidence.

"Do you know where we can find some?" Harry half expected some witty comment about the Mediterranean. Thankfully, he was spared the sarcasm.

"Well, I know that Dogweed and Deathcap has loads of aquatic plants. Come to think of it, I did see some gillyweed there last time I went," She looked thoughtful, a look that she always got when she was working magic. Harry grinned, of course Hermione would know exactly where to go.

"That sounds perfect. When's the next Hogsmeade visit?" Harry was surprised at the excitement he was beginning to feel.

She thought for a few more seconds before replying, "Valentine's Day, if I'm correct." She saw the question Harry was about to ask and rolled her eyes. "The second task is on the 24th, before you ask,"

"You're the best, Hermione." Harry was eager to tell Neville about the newly acquired information. The encounter with Ron only moments ago was long forgotten.

"Don't forget what I said! I'm getting tired of this," Harry was already on his way over to talk to Neville at this point. He didn't want to make up with Ron, nor did he plan to. Maybe Ron was right, he had enough friends already.

* * *

><p>"So which one next?" Harry asked Susan. He was very nervous, if truth be told. The first thing he was thinking, at this moment, was whether Susan could smell his breath, and if so, how it smelled.<p>

They were both reading of the short list of spells in Susan's hand. The spells were written in a very small script. Harry was forced to read the list from over her shoulder. Thankfully, his slight height advantage allowed him to do so easily. "How about this one?" she pointed to one about halfway down the list and looked to him.

Harry pulled away and swallowed heavily, "Sounds good to me," He walked over to the small pile of books they had brought with them.

So far, his "Study date" had been anything but a date. Harry had spent the last hour and a half learning the spells and helping Susan master them. It had been nothing but Defense. Harry was somewhat embarrassed to admit that he had imagined the meeting to be much more personal.

"We've only got two to go." Susan spoke up, now standing to his right. She sounded disappointed to say this.

"Well, we've made good progress." Harry said. If Susan's face were visible to him, he would've seen her roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess," She flipped through a book while she thought to herself. She didn't even realize when she flipped right past the page with the spell she was looking for.

After another minute of silence, it became too much for Susan to bear. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry jumped at her question. He had been asking himself that question for the past hour now, and he had yet to figure it out himself. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong, Sue," He lied. Of course, she saw right through it.

"You haven't said a word besides Defense all afternoon. Is there something bothering you?" Susan was concerned that maybe she had been to forward in asking for his help. She had been desperate for time alone with Harry ever since Hannah had told about what Neville said at the Ball. After spending all day looking forward to this, she was sorely disappointed with the lack of happenings in the secluded Charms classroom.

"I honestly don't know." Harry confessed. At seeing her sad look, he continued, "You didn't do anything."

She looked disbelieving at his reassurance. What else could be the problem? "Harry, I'm really sorry about this. I don't know what I was thinking…" She closed the book and stared at the cover.

There were a million things running through Harry's mind right then. What did he say? What should he say? What did she want him to say?

"I, er –" Harry didn't get to finish.

"I'll see you later, then? Thanks for helping me with these," Susan stacked the books up and tucked them under her arm. After one last look at Harry, Susan left.

Harry knew he should've said something. He knew that he should follow her. He knew that his was his fault and he knew that he shouldn't let her just leave. He wanted to do all these things, but for some reason, he couldn't. So instead, he stared at the door for a few seconds before walking through the open door.

"What just happened?" Harry thought to himself. One second, things were awkward. The next, she was gone. He hadn't even had enough time to react.

As Harry let his feet carry him through the halls, he wondered whether his study date with Parvati would be as surreal as this one.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

Notes on the chapter:

This chapter was mainly used to build towards the next one. I would've done them together, but it would likely have been around 11 or 12k words, and I don't think that's the best idea. The scene with Susan is to add a little more drama to the mix. I felt it necessary.

Before you guys get any ideas, I have no intentions whatsoever of making this a HarryMulti ship story. Harry will, in the end, pick someone. I don't even know who myself, to be honest.

In the next chapter: more "Study dates", Hogsmeade excursions(Yes I know what I said), and the second task.


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